Hotel chain, Travelodge have been fined £13,000 after breaching fire safety laws at their hotel in Horley.

The breaches relate to failings found at its 6 storey hotel in Povey Cross Road, Horley.

On discovering the breaches, fire officers immediately issued a Prohibition Notice which prevents anyone from staying at the hotel.

The hotel was fined £13,000 and ordered to pay £6,500 in costs after being found guilty of seven charges under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) order 2005.

The breaches were discovered when fire crews were called to put out a blaze on the ground floor of the hotel in September 2011.

Officers found that the fire alarm system was inadequate, staff had not received sufficient fire safety training, the fire risk assessment was insufficient and fire fighting equipment had not been maintained correctly. In addition to this, escape routes were obstructed or even blocked.

Andy Tonks from West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said: “Fortunately, due to the professionalism of our crews at the time of the incident, the fire was brought under control quickly and nobody was hurt. However, under different circumstances, the consequences could have been life-threatening. Protecting the public will always be our top priority and while we would much rather offer advice to the businesses to help them comply with fire safety law, where serious breaches are putting people’s lives at risk we will certainly seek to prosecute.”

Since the conviction, the hotel has rectified all fire safety issues and has re-opened. Bob Burgess, West Sussex County Council deputy cabinet member for public protection, said: “We would like to remind all businesses that they have a duty to comply with fire safety legislation and I hope this case will show just how seriously we take our responsibilities to protect the lives of members of the public.”

An elderly lady was rushed to hospital by air ambulance after she suffered serious burns after a cigarette set fire to her sofa.

Firefighters attended the incident in Castle Dene Court in Jewell Road in Bournemouth on the morning of Saturday 29th September.

The woman was rescued from the sheltered housing accommodation property and transferred to the Royal Bournemouth Hospital. She was later transferred to Salisbury District Hospital where there is a specialist burns facility.

Many other residents of the block were evacuated during the incident but were later allowed to return to their homes.

One neighbour who witnessed the incident said: “I heard the alarm and smelt the smoke. The firefighters were with her by the window where she was getting some air and she was taken out on a stretcher. I heard she had 70 per cent burns.”

A second witness, Len Jordan, aged 72 said: “I looked out my door because the fire alarm went off and saw the firemen. They asked us to get out. I had my dressing gown and slippers on outside.”

Fire crews from Redhill, Springbourne and Christchurch attended the incident and took around an hour to fully extinguish the fire. Furniture was destroyed in the fire and the property suffered a large amount of smoke damage.

A spokesperson for Dorset Fire and Rescue Service said: “Crews were called to alarms at a flat in Townsend where they found an elderly woman with burns and a fire in her lounge. The crews immediately and effectively dealt with the fire and rendered first aid to the occupant before medical attention was administered by the ambulance crew. The fire is believed to have started by smoking materials and we would like to remind people of the need to safely dispose of cigarettes and ensure they have working alarms.”

A large fire broke out at Yates recycling centre in South Gloucestershire in the early hours of the morning on 22nd September.

Three crews were called to the SITA UK’s Sort It centre, on Dean Road, just before 6am.

Firefighters arrive at the scene to find around 120 tonnes of rubbish on fire. They used two jets and breathing apparatus to tackle the fire. Crews remained at the scene for several hours.

A spokesperson for the site said: “No major damage inflicted but we needed to assess everything thoroughly over the weekend. We placed a member of staff at the gates over the weekend to redirect residents to one of the three other Sort It centres. We would like to thank residents who turned up with their household waste over the weekend for their patience and understanding.”

He later added: “The cause of the fire is not known but it appears that something in the black bag waste deposited was too hot and caused the fire. We have checked our infrastructure and utility services and no fault was found with those so that seems the likely reason.”

A fire broke out at a recycling plant in Stanton-by-Dale on 15th September and burned for several days.

Contractors at the site worked alongside firefighters, using diggers to move unaffected wood and reducing the amount of recycled material nearby.

Bryan Bennett, area manager, said: “Firefighters are continuing to make progress with the fire under extremely arduous conditions. We are constantly making tactical assessments of the fire and are working with all the relevant authorities to ensure the safety of the local community and the environment.”

Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service advised local residents to keep their windows and doors shut wherever possible due to the amount of smoke coming from the site.

Fire teams worked closely with the Environment Agency to prevent water used to extinguish the blaze affecting local water supplies. Lee Whitehouse, major incident duty officer for the Environment Agency, said: “We have been at the Erewash Canal following reports that run off from the firewater had got into the canal and that a small number of dead fish and fish in distress had been seen. We have been using oxyjets to increase oxygen levels in the canal. We currently have six oxyjets operating along a 2.5km stretch of the canal, which will continue until oxygen levels have improved. We have also reduced the amount of water running into the canal by diverting it to a Severn Trent Water sewer.”

A man has been arrested on suspicion of arson after a fire destroyed a south Wales crisp factory.

Around 50 firefighters attended the blaze at the Real Crisps site on Crumlin’s Penyfan industrial estate at around 3am on 20th September. The fire caused extensive damage and has affected around 75% of the factory.

A spokesperson for Gwent Police said: “Fire investigators have been at the site today and have established the fire is believed to be deliberately set.”

Gwent Police have confirmed that a man has been arrested in connection with the incident.

Paul Allen, chief executive of Northern Ireland company Tayto Group said: “Our focus now is on what we can do for those staff, who are naturally concerned for their jobs. We also need to ensure minimal disruption to our customers and we are working hard to bring that about. We do have other factories and will be considering all options that are open to us. Once we have fully assessed the situation we shall be able to make further announcements.”

Environment Agency staff have also been involved in the incident and have been ensuring that local water supplies are not polluted.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: “Action by the fire service and Environment Agency Wales officers to set up a series of barriers around the area contained the water and prevented a potential risk to the environment. The agency believes that local rivers and streams have not been affected but it remains onsite to help with the disposal of the contaminated water and continues to monitor the situation.”